- Atypical tarantula
Taxobox
name = Atypical tarantulas
image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Sphodros rufipes "
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropoda
classis =Arachnida
ordo =Araneae
subordo =Mygalomorphae
superfamilia =Atypoidea
familia = Atypidae
familia_authority = Thorell, 1870
diversity_link = List of Atypidae species
diversity = 3 genera, 43 species
range_
range_map_width = 250px
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Atypus "
"Calommata "
"Sphodros "The atypical tarantulas or purseweb spiders (family "Atypidae") consist of only three genera.
Distribution
In the
North America these are "Sphodros" and "Atypus", in Asia and Africa there are "Atypus" and "Calommata", and only "Atypus" inEurope [Platnick 2008] ."Atypus affinis", "A. muralis" and "A. piceus" are the only species of this family found in northwestern Europe.
Biology
"Atypus" builds a silken tube parallel to the surface of the ground, While up to 8 cm of the tube lie on the ground, about 20 cm are buried vertically. The spider rests at the bottom of the tube. When prey walks on the exposed part, the spider, alerted by the vibrations, stabs it through the silk, cuts the web and drags it inside to be eaten. "Calommata", instead of building a purse web, lives in a burrow.Murphy & Murphy 2000] "Sphodros" usually props its tubes against a tree trunk.
Atypical tarantulas have huge
chelicerae for their size and relatively longspinneret s (although not as long as those found in diplurids). The males are sometimes brightly colored and wander around looking for females in their tubes. The females are reddish-brown or dark-colored.Southeast Asian "Atypus" species have a body length of 7 to 21 mm in females, and about 12 mm in males. "Calommata" of this region grow from 23 to 30 mm in females, and only about 7 mm in males.
Genera
* "
Atypus " Latreille, 1804 — Britain to Ukraine, Asia, North Africa, USA (29 species)
* "Calommata " Lucas, 1837 — Asia, Africa (7 species)
* "Sphodros " Walckenaer, 1835 — USA, Mexico (7 species)ee also
*
List of Atypidae species
*Spider families Footnotes
References
* (2008): [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/index.html The world spider catalog] , version 8.5. "American Museum of Natural History".
External links
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/spidhome.htm Spiders of NW-Europe]
* [http://taipan.nmsu.edu/people/richman/dbr.html Richman, D. B. 2003. Some Spiders - Photograph of "Sphodros"]
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